SCIENTISM AS A DIRTY WORD

I have been accused of being a member of the "church" of “scientism.”  Considering the context in which the epithet was used, I understood it to be a pejorative.  But I had to look the word up to be sure.  Informally, the term refers to the idea that devotees of scientism treat science as a religion in which they place their faith, just as Christians place their faith in their religion.  At its most extreme scientism has come to mean the belief that knowledge is only attainable through science or that only scientific claims are valid ones.  In both cases I believe that the term is unfair.

NOTE ON THE HUMAN CONDITION

Recently, I stumbled across a book [David Benatar, The Human Predicament] that begins with the following: “We are born, we live, we suffer along the way, and then we die—obliterated for the rest of eternity.”  In answer to the question of the purpose of human life, the author responds that there is no overarching purpose.  In other words, “Life’s a bitch, and then you die.”  Ouch.  Not exactly uplifting.  But does this ultimate in philosophical pessimism properly characterize the human condition?  I think not.